In too deep  What should have happened
by MrAndMrsMulholland
Summary: This is the rewritten version of the ep with the same name. It also continues the story of 'Flotsam & Jetsam - what should have happened'. You should read that one first since there will be lots of references to that story in this one. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

The crew of the Hammersley was busy putting the last of the supplies in the RHIBs to restock the Hammersley while Dutchy was putting checkmarks on his list. The crew had finally been able to make a brief stop on Orlan Island during a long patrol after being at sea for weeks. Dutchy felt glad to be back on the ship after the injuries he sustained in a gold robbery gone wrong. Although he had been assigned to light duties during the first week, he now had recovered from his bullet wound quite well and was feeling good. He took his checklist and walked up the ramp , seeing the CO and XO talking to the harbour master several meters away from him.

Dutchy smiled when he saw Kate, who seemed to be too busy talking to the CO to notice him watching her. Dutchy grinned when he remembered the night they had been discharged from hospital. They had taken a taxi to his place where Kate had ordered some food, picked a DVD to watch, and made his bed. He remembered feeling a bit awkward to have her pottering about his house as if she was a nurse or his sister taking care of him. All that, while he felt so much more for her.

For several hours they hung out in his living room watching movies and eating take away food. Kate had insisted watching something fluffy and romantic, which had made Dutchy yawn within minutes. His tall, muscular body was sprawled out on his couch, leaving little space for Kate. To be comfortable anyway, she had lifted his head into her lap and unconsciously softly stroked his hair while watching the film.

When it was time to go to sleep she had helped him to get ready and teasingly tucked him in. Dutchy remembered the kiss she had given him. He could still feel her soft lips pressed against his own. It hadn't just been a regular kiss, it had been sensational and because of that he felt a bit disappointed when she left the room and crashed on his couch for the night. Dutchy was too tired to say anything about it and in the two weeks before going back on patrol she did come around but they never really talked about what had happened on the island or about the sensational kiss that night.

Kate stopped talking to Mike and was walking towards the RHIB. She had caught Dutchy staring at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Earlier that morning she had eaten breakfast with Dutchy at a great little place in town, even then she had often caught him staring at her, giving her a tingly feeling in her stomach. Kate had to admit, that being around him felt really good.

She saw Dutchy but didn't want to alert anyone about her new friendship with their buffer so she walked on almost ignoring him. "X," he called out to her which made her swirl around. "I've got a present for you," he said while he handed her a wrapped parcel. "What is it?" Kate wondered while she inspected the messy wrapped thing. "It's a surprise," he answered cheekily.

Kate walked on towards the RHIB which would take her back to Hammersley while unwrapping her present. 'Strawberry lip gloss' she whispered out loud while turning around to thank Dutchy. He had continued working and didn't see her looking at him. Kate did see Mike eyeing her and wondered what he was thinking. He had been curious about where she had breakfast and now he must have seen her getting a present from the same guy she had breakfast with. Quickly Kate walked on towards the waiting RHIB, not willing to give Mike the impression she was a bit embarrassed about it. He could get the wrong impression.

Mike focused again on his work with Swain telling the harbour master they would be out in about twenty minutes. There wasn't much more to discuss and from the corner of his eye he saw the X leaving on the available RHIB. Now he had to wait until Halfy would come back to pick up the remaining crew. Mike looked around and saw a couple arguing near a beautiful yacht. It were always the rich people having fights about nothing, Mike thought. The woman was standing near a stroller but got distracted by the man, probably her husband. They were so preoccupied that they didn't even notice the stroller rolling into the water.

As soon as the mother started screaming Mike knew there was no time to lose. He ran as fast as he could towards where the stroller had gone into the water and dove in to swim the last couple of meters. Within seconds he pulled it up and handed it to Dutchy and Swain. The little boy seemed OK, at least he was crying but now the father, who couldn't swim, needed to be rescued. When they were all on shore again the man, Anton Gorski, thanked Mike for saving him and his son. He owed him his life.

That evening the crew had organised a steel beach barbecue in Mike's honour. Everyone was enjoying themselves and Kate again realised why she liked working on a patrol boat so much. She hadn't thought she ever would but this crew was terrific. With a plate full of food she walked towards a group of people she considered her family.

Meanwhile Mike was talking to Swain and Charge who wouldn't stop talking about his heroic deed. It made him feel a bit embarrassed since he wanted to believe that anyone of his crew and hopefully anyone in the world would do the same thing as what he had done earlier today, save the baby from drowning. "We will have to recommend you for an honorary medal," Charge said while he slapped Mike on his shoulder. "You saved two lives today, made a woman very happy and all you can say is 'it was my duty'. I think it was very courageous boss," Charge went on.

Mike nodded but really hoped he could get away from Charge soon. The man was a good friend and a great sailor but had his moments of being overly excited and tonight was one of those moments. His remark about making a woman happy made him think about Kate. They hadn't talked to each other recently and every time when he wanted to she was either too busy or away with Dutchy. He could understand that being stuck on an island together would form a certain bond but he couldn't deny that it made him jealous. He was the one who was in love with Kate and therefore he should have breakfast at great little places, not Dutchy.

Swain slapped him on his shoulder and said something that didn't come through to his brain but Mike looked at him like he was caught. "Were you dreaming of your medal sir?" Swain teased him. Mike shrugged and padded Swain's arm. "No, but I think I'll stroll around a bit. If you want to organise a medal for me than I'm not stopping you," he said while he already took a few steps away from him. "It would be wrong though to hang around while you and Charge concoct all of this," he said smiling at his own ingenuity.

Mike walked away from the baffled sailors and looked around if there was anyone he could or would talk to but everyone was either in a conversation with someone or eating and enjoying the barbie. Mike decided to go up to the bridge and check if everything was alright there. He climbed up the ladder and heard Bird call after him. "Where are you going sir? You can't leave your own party," she said, waving for him to come back. "I'm just going to check the bridge and then I'll come back, I promise," he replied.

While Mike wanted to turn around to enter the bridge he saw Kate close to the edge. She was laughing and having a great time. It looked like she was talking to someone but he couldn't see who it was. Mike moved a bit closer to find out who could make Kate laugh so much and saw it was none other than Dutchy. Mike realised a green-eyed monster taking control of his feelings and knew he had to do something fast to get Kate's attention back to him or he would be too late. He couldn't lose a battle to a blonde guy, ten years younger than he was! That just couldn't happen! With a few big steps he reached the door to the bridge and entered it, not willing to see anymore heartbreaking sights of Kate with anyone else.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning everything had gone back to normal. The bridge was buzzing with people doing their job. It was what Mike liked to see; his crew working together well. Robert got a pan-pan call from a ship called the Janet Jay, he gave Kate the coordinates while Swain picked up the phone when it started ringing.

"Boss, commander White," Swain said while he held up the phone. "Put it through to my cabin," Mike answered. He knew what the phone call was all about, or at least he had a fair idea what it would be. Before he left the bridge he ordered RO to get any details of the pan-pan call and give them to the X so she could plot a course. "I'll be in my cabin if you need me," he said to no one in particular. "The X has the ship. Set course to the Janet Jay," which was answered by a "I've got the ship," from the X.

Mike walked into his cabin and picked up the phone to greet his commander and friend. "Maxine," he said jovial. "Mike," she promptly replied. "Have you had a chance to look at the new list I sent?" she asked him. Mike had expected this question and while he opened his laptop he answered affirmative. He had been looking at the list for many hours during the past night and just couldn't trust any of them with his ship. "I don't think they're capable," he told Maxine. "I give you a hand in finding your replacement, as a courtesy Mike," she added cheekily, "And if I didn't know you better I might think you are using candidate unsuitability _not_ to return to your position here," she continued.

Mike felt caught. It wasn't completely true although with every name on that list he could come up with a reason to knock the person back. In the end Maxine asked him to add names himself which felt like an ultimatum. If he didn't come up with a suitable replacement it would be out of his hands all together. "Taken that silence you think that's a great idea?" Maxine teased him, although Mike could hear her seriousness sipping through and just before she hung up the phone she said: "Looking forward to seeing your list Mike."

Mike sighed and stretched his fingers while he thought about which name he could possibly add to the list. He had just one name in mind but hadn't given it too much thought before now. He knew she was ready for it and he could trust Hammersley in her hands but was it the right thing to do? One day she would be a wonderful CO but Kate had made it very clear she wanted big ships, she was a frigate type of girl. On the other hand she had loved being on a patrol boat and she could have asked for a transfer before now and she hadn't. An added bonus would be that with different postings they could continue their relationship or at least he could openly 'fight' for her again.

Before he could change his mind he typed her name, saved the document and sent it off to Navcom. For his own record he printed out a version and put it on his desk. He hoped Maxine would accept his recommendation but all he could do now was wait.

Mike walked back towards the bridge to see how far they had gotten to their destination when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. It was Kate to inform him they came up to the vessel of Mr. Mason. "What did Knocker want?" she asked teasingly. "Oh, she was hassling me about Hammersley's replacement CO," Mike answered. Kate's eyes lit up and she asked hopefully: "Anyone suitable yet?" Mike shook his head. "All the candidates were hopeless. I wouldn't let them command a tug boat, let alone a warship," he answered. He couldn't tell her about his action of adding her name. It wouldn't be fair to her if she knew it and then got news back she wasn't good enough.

Kate went back to work as usual. Mike's answer wasn't so surprising. There always was a reason why there wasn't a replacement to be found so why would today be any different? They had to board the Janet Jay and question Mr. Mason about why he had launched a pan-pan call. Very quickly it became clear he had stumbled upon something dodgy. He had seen a boat dump something in the water and it looked a lot like a body.

With a lot of manpower the body was pulled out of the water and Mr. Mason was thanked for his call. After he gave some information about the boat involved in dropping the body he was allowed to go on while the Hammersley tried to find the persons responsible. They hadn't searched for very long when a contact appeared on the radar. The boat was exactly like Mr. Mason's description but it couldn't be the right one. No one, involved in murder, would be stupid enough to hang around longer than necessary.

"We'll board them as a training exercise. Look around, see if you can find anything that links that boat to the dead man," Mike ordered. Kate gave him a questioning look. "A training exercise?" she asked. "Do you have any other options?" he asked her in return. Kate shrugged. She loved Mike's ingenuity and laughed when she listened to his call to the targeted vessel.

On the boat the boarding party tried everything to prolong their search but after twenty minutes the only thing they found was an empty hull. All the papers were in order and the personnel were all legitimate. Kate returned to the bridge, disappointed about the operation. The guys on the boat looked dodgy and the master of the vessel had given Kate the creeps. He was smug and a little bit too confident to her liking.

Kate looked at Mike, hoping he wouldn't see her disappointment. They had wasted so much time on Cavanaugh's boat. She needed some action or some justification for the lost time. It came sooner than Kate had expected when the dead man was identified as a drug dealer and was linked to Cavanaugh. Now they had a reason to keep the boat under surveillance until the feds would arrive in the morning.

It was past midnight when Kate couldn't restrain a yawn or could hardly keep her eyes open. The long day was catching up with her but giving in wasn't an option. Cavanaugh's boat was _her_ responsibility, Kate thought, and therefore she couldn't leave the bridge. "Why don't you get some sleep," Mike offered like he had been able to read her mind. Kate shrugged and looked away. "The feds won't be here until the morning and until then it's just keeping tabs," Mike continued. "I'm OK," Kate said trying not to sound too annoyed.

Mike didn't know if he had to admire her perseverance of completing the job or hate her stubbornness and send her to her cabin. There was nothing to be done right now and it was the perfect time to get some rest. Mike decided to let it go for now but if he would see her yawning one more time he would send her to her cabin after all.

Mike was looking through his binoculars until he heard someone coming up the stairs. Dutchy came back from his five minute break and was carrying a brew. He stood behind Kate peering over her shoulder to watch the EOD. She could feel his breath in her neck and she shivered slightly. "Any developments?" he asked. Kate shrugged and suppressed another yawn. "Here, have my brew," Dutchy offered handing over the mug, ever so slightly touching his fingers with hers. "It looks like you need it more," he added while giving her a cheeky smile.

From his side of the bridge, Mike was watching the exchange between Dutchy and Kate suspiciously. Especially that last little gesture drove Mike mad especially when Kate gladly excepted the brew and told Dutchy 'she really needed that'. Why was she accepting help from _Dutchy_ and not from _him_? He wanted to say something about it when Dutchy leaned over Kate's shoulder and pointed at the EOD. He had seen movement at Cavanaugh's boat.

The boarding was an even bigger disaster than the first boarding and when they arrived back in port Mike had to explain to the feds how they had lost Cavanaugh and what had gone wrong. They guy didn't look to happy and the only thing Mike could offer him were the surveillance tapes of the EOD. "X, can you grab the tapes. They're on my desk in my cabin," Mike ordered Kate. she nodded and went back to the ship.

It seemed the ship was deserted, as all the crew had left to enjoy their shore leave. Only the staff on watch duty were still on the bridge, but the hallways were eerily quiet. Kate made her way through the corridor towards the CO's cabin. If she was quick, she was sure she would be able to enjoy some of the remaining shore leave after dealing with the mess with the feds.

Without really looking where she was going, she nearly run into someone. "Geez Dutchy" she said. "You nearly gave me a heart attack coming out of nowhere like that." "Me coming out of nowhere?" he said, while raising an eyebrow. "It was you that wasn't looking around at all." She sighed and looked down for a moment. "I have to finish some work, and hope to have some shore leave left when I finish." Dutchy gave her a cheeky grin, "Anything or anyone planned?" he asked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she retorted. "You know I would," he answered softly while pushing a strand of hair away from her face.

Before Kate could react to any of this, her mobile phone started ringing. With an annoyed sigh she noted that it was Mike asking her to hurry up with those tapes. "I have to go" she said to Dutchy. He nodded, understanding that duty had once again invaded something that could have become more. "Will I see you tonight?" Dutchy asked giving her his best charm smile? Kate watched him for a moment, not able to resist him when he smiled at her like that. "I'll try," she promised. "Trying is good enough for me," he said while walking away. "For now at least," she heard him say before stepping outside onto the deck.

Kate quickly entered Mike's cabin. She glanced around quickly, taking in the differences between a CO's cabin and the simple cabin she had, often having to share with other female officers. She quickly grabbed the tapes and wanted to go back when she saw a piece of paper with a lot of names on it and her name was on the top. This must be the list Maxine had sent but what irritated Kate the most was the remark Mike had made about the candidates: _'All the candidates were hopeless. I wouldn't let them command a tug boat, let alone a warship.' _It kept repeating in her head. So that's what Mike was thinking of her!

Half an hour later Mike was back on the ship and wondered what had happened to Kate. She had brought the tapes but hadn't looked at him at all. He should have sent her to her cabin the night before, he shouldn't have let them board Cavanaugh's vessel but there was nothing they could change about it now. Maybe he had to go and apologize for pushing her to work too hard.

With an extra brew in his hands he walked towards her cabin. Yesterday Dutchy had made her happy with a brew and today it was his turn. Maybe he should tell her not to feel guilty or to just forget about it and move on. With a knock on her door he let her know he was there.

The door swung open and an irritated Kate was sitting behind her desk. "What are you typing?" Mike wondered while he put down one of the brews. "A transfer request," she answered him angrily. Mike looked at her as if he hadn't heard her properly. 'A transfer request?' went through his head while she added: "I'm sick of it! I've had enough! I want off this ship."

Mike was standing there like a fish on dry land, not being able to say anything, but his mind was going crazy. What had happened for her to request a transfer? Was it something he had done? Before Mike or Kate could say anything else they heard RO over the intercom stating that the XO was needed at the bridge. Kate left her cabin without giving him another look and Mike was nailed to the ground, hoping this was all a bad dream.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kate had packed her overnight bag and was about to leave her cabin when she heard her mobile phone buzzing. She flipped it open to see a text message from Swain: _'We're at this pub in town. Great beer and other good liquids to be found. Are you coming?'_ Kate exhaled loudly and wondered if she should let him know she wasn't in the mood or just not react at all. Kate threw her mobile in her bag before she picked it up. She would send a message on her way to her hotel, declining his offer.

Before she left her cabin she looked around one more time to make sure she had everything she needed for an overnight stay. Kate was about to leave when she heard a knock on the door. "Yeah?" she said, hoping it wouldn't be any of the on duty sailors to inform her of any problems. The door opened and Kate saw Mike standing in the opening with his mobile phone in his hand. "I just got this message from Charge, asking me to come and join the crew at the pub. Are you coming?" he asked her.

Mike looked at Kate's bag. "Are you going anywhere?" he asked confused. She surely was just going ashore, probably for some drinks, but she never took anything bigger than an oversized purse with her so where was she going this time? Kate gave him an angry glance and pushed him out of the way walking towards the stairs. "That's none of your business," she answered while she quickly turning around to face him. "Besides, you're sure you want to spend time with me? I'm not to be trusted, remember?" she added sarcastically. "Sorry?" was the only thing which Mike could say while seeing her disappear. "Turn off my lights, will you," she yelled from the end of the corridor to him.

Quickly he turned off the lights and closed the door to her cabin so he could follow her. Mike had no clue what Kate was talking about although he gathered that her answer to his first question was no. "Wait! Kate!" he yelled while he sprinted up the stairs. He saw Kate get into the RHIB. "Halfy wait, I'm coming too," he said while he ran towards the inflatable and got in.

Mike was smart enough not to sit too close to Kate who didn't even look at him. "What did you mean? I don't know what you're talking about," he asked her, trying to get a conversation going. Kate sighed and kept her eyes focussed on the shore. "I don't know in what kind of mood you're in today, but I really don't understand. Could you enlighten me, please?" he begged. This time Kate gave him an aggravated look which silenced Mike at once. Just before they got out of the boat she looked at him one more time. "Just leave me alone," she hissed. "And don't bother."

Mike walked towards the first pub he saw, alone. He didn't think it was wise to go with Kate, who would probably catch up with the other crewmembers. He sat down at the counter and ordered a beer thinking about what happened today. Recounting, there were only a few possibilities he could think of. She had not slept much after the night's events. She had joined him ashore to talk to the police and had picked up the surveillance tapes from his cabin. Somewhere at that point something had gone wrong. Kate hadn't been the same and had started typing a transfer request but what was the reason?

After drinking another couple of beers Mike realised he wasn't getting any answers himself. He wanted answers and not just about what had happened earlier today. Ever since she had been stuck on an island with Dutchy she was behaving differently and he needed to find out if he still had a chance with her. From the pocket of his shirt he picked up his mobile and pressed speed dial 1 to call Kate's number.

Kate had put her overnight bag into the room she had booked for tonight. She wasn't going to enjoy much of the advantages of this luxurious hotel since she had to be back at work by six thirty the next morning but at least she would be away from the Hammersley for one night. All she wanted right now was to be on her own. Kate walked up the stairs towards the bar when she heard her phone ring. She had totally forgotten to reply to Swain and maybe he was trying to persuade her to come to wherever the others had crashed down.

At the top of the stairs she stopped to look at who was calling her when she realised it wasn't Swain but Mike. Why wouldn't he leave her alone? Hadn't she been clear enough already? With a sigh she pressed the red button and looked towards the bar. She couldn't believe her eyes. There, all gathered around a table, were the crewmembers she wanted to avoid this evening.

Next to the staircase was a sofa where she let herself fall onto. She had two options and both were not the most happy ones. She could sneak back to her room and spend the night there or face the music and join the others. Kate was still thinking what to do when someone walked passed her. "Hey," she heard. She quickly looked up to see Dutchy standing there. "Hey," she responded while she looked at her mobile again.

"Come join the others," Dutchy said invitingly pointing at the group of sailors. Kate really hated that it was Dutchy who was asking her this. Any other person and she would have happily declined the offer. She really felt like being alone tonight but if she wasn't going to join them she did owe him an explanation. "I don't think I'll be much company tonight," she said. He stared at her and probably wanted to know more.

Dutchy sat down next to Kate, a bit baffled. "Why's that?" he asked. Kate gave him some sort of a unhappy look and took a deep breath "I decided to transfer off the ship," she stated. "What!" he blurted out. She wasn't seriously thinking of doing that? "Why?" he wanted to know, asking it a bit more friendly. "Oh, bigger and better opportunities on a big ship," Kate replied, not looking at him at all.

His mind was on a rollercoaster. The questions were following each other quicker than he could answer them. "What sort of opportunities are you looking for?" he asked. There had to be a reason why she wanted to leave the Hammersley all of a sudden. Was she doing this because of him? Had he gone too far and was she trying to get away from him? "Professional or personal ones?" he asked hoping she would answer that with 'professional' but she didn't say anything at all. Instead of answering she gave him a glance which made an abrupt stop to his rollercoaster ride. She was eyeing him up and down as if she felt caught but gave no answer. It was safer to leave it at that and move on to a different subject all together. "Come on. One drink," he said while he stood up. She wasn't convinced yet so he repeated himself but this time more urgently. "Come on!" A little bit reluctantly Kate agreed. "One," she said giving Dutchy a look to let him know she was serious. He didn't protest and dragged her along to the group of friends.

During the night Kate tried to relax and enjoy herself. The last thing she wanted was everyone's questions about what she was dealing with. Luckily Dutchy understood and he didn't mention her news at all.

They had been drinking for about an hour when a phone rang. "It's not me," Swain declared before emptying his glass. "Ah, it's not mine," Charge jokingly added. Kate knew it was hers, she knew her own ringtone but since she was away from home and amongst her friends it could only be one person trying to contact her. Quietly she flipped her mobile open to see that it was indeed Mike calling her. For a second time she ignored his call and closed her mobile again, rolling her eyes.

"I've got to go back to the Hammersley. I'm on watch," Swain announced. He looked around the group. "That's right. I'm on watch too," 2Dads said. He emptied his glass too and got up. "I'm going back too," Robert said. The three guys put some money on the table to pay for their share of the bill and were about to leave when Charge got hold of Robert's arm. "Now, if those two are on watch why are _you_ going?" he asked. 2Dads slapped Robert on his shoulders and bent forwards. "Have you never seen Cinderella? She needed to be home before midnight or she would have turned into an ugly frog," he joked.

Swain pulled 2Dads and Robert along while he mentioned something about behaving themselves. Not long after that Bomber and Charge left as well which only left Dutchy and Kate at the table. After Dutchy paid the bill he came back to Kate and stood next to her. "Come on Kate. It's time to go back," he said invitingly but Kate shook her head. "You're not thinking of staying and drinking even more? You'll end up with the worst hangover ever," he warned her.

Kate shrugged. "No I'm not," she answered but she didn't move an inch. "If we're going back to the ship you actually have to get up from your seat you know," Dutchy joked. Kate started laughing. "I'm sorry Dylan. I was talking about the drinking part. I've got a room booked here at the hotel," she explained. Dutchy gave her a wondering look. "Is this an invitation too?" he cheekily asked.

While he said it he knew he was crossing the line again. He couldn't help himself. She had this spell over him and as soon as they were on their own he blurted out the stupidest things he could come up with. She probably had booked a room to get some time alone, away from everyone, and now he came barging in with a question like this. Kate didn't answer his question and actually he didn't want to wait until she would understand the meaning of it so he walked away but then he felt a soft hand wrap around his wrist and Kate whispering in his ear: "Where are you going?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Dutchy stood there staring at her with his eyes as wide as saucers. Had she really just suggested for him to join her to her room? While Dutchy stood frozen, Kate had already started moving towards the elevators. When she was nearly there she turned around to see him still standing where she left him making her retrace her steps back to him. "It's OK, really," she encouraged him. To get him moving, she took hold of his hand and laced his fingers with hers and pulled him towards the elevators. Finally reality hit him, and he squeezed her hand and smiled at her.

Kate felt her heart race while he stood so close to her. One thing she had to admit to herself, and probably to him too, was that she started to like him more and more. What was happening right now wasn't planned but she wasn't going to stop it either. She had held back on her feelings for too long and it hadn't brought her anywhere near happiness.

It took far too long for the elevator to arrive, Kate thought. She could hear her own heart hammering in her ears, and she was sure her cheeks had turned a shade more red than they had been before. Dutchy was standing close to her, too close to think anymore. She was overwhelmed by the smell of his aftershave, and could feel his breath on the back of her neck. Neither of them was talking, but it didn't seem necessary. Kate suddenly realised that this was the first time she had really been able to spend time alone with him. It made her think back to the time they spent on the island where their relationship had been so easygoing. Nobody knew them there or anyone was watching. Being at this resort was the perfect opportunity to find out if there was anything more than friendship.

The elevator door opened and they walked in. Dutchy stood behind Kate so she could make a first move. The last thing he wanted was to do something to push her away from him. When they had briefly spoken to each other earlier that day she hadn't mentioned anything about staying at the hotel and he didn't know for sure when she had made up this plan. Had he been in that plan all along or was this just happening? Going up to her room made him unsure what to think. Was she going to let him stay the night or did she only want to talk and send him away later? He knew what he wanted but what did she want?

Kate didn't dare to look around, scared she would do something to make him run away. Instead she started talking. "I, uhm—" she tried but she actually didn't know what to say. Dutchy turned her around and smiled. Seeing him gaze at her patiently, she swallowed nervously before standing on her toes, leaning in to him and swinging her arms around his neck to pull him closer. Softly she kissed him, slowly at first, then more demanding.

Dutchy caressed her cheek with his thumb. He felt how Kate pressed her body against his and lovingly smiled before kissing him again. She didn't break away until the elevator arrived at the right level and the door opened. "Room 204. This way," she said with a voice that didn't sound like her own. He followed and waited for her to open the door to her room.

While she was fumbling nervously with her key card, he had time to look at her properly. She wore a dress that didn't suit her. Her body could look so much better if it would be a different cut and besides that it was a strange colour for her, almost the colour of a sack of potatoes. He mentally scolded himself. Should he think about getting her out of that dress or was that something he shouldn't even consider?

"Are you coming in?" Kate asked with a smile. Dutchy was standing in the hallway with his mind miles away. She grabbed his arm and pulled him in, closing the door behind him. Before she could move further into the room, Dutchy had her pinned against the door. She let her arms slip around his body and stood on her toes to kiss him. Finally they were in each other's arms, they weren't going to let go for a long time. The only lucid thought Kate had at that moment was asking herself what had made her wait for so long?

Dutchy loved Kate's soft lips on his and the fact he was actually living a dream by holding her body against his own. Her hands had slipped underneath his shirt and her fingers were teasingly stroking his back while she kept kissing him. It seemed it was his turn to show some initiative again so he guided her towards the bed without breaking their passionate kiss.

Kate fell back on the bed and laughed when Dutchy fell on top of her. She could feel he was just as excited as she was. She kissed him and let her hands roam underneath his shirt once more. He kept caressing her face, putting strands of hair behind her ears or letting his fingers trace down towards her shoulder. He leaned on one of his elbows and started tracing even further down along her body. Kate started shivering when he touched her breast very quickly.

When he had reached the hem of her dress and was about to trace back up she pushed him away and jumped off the bed. "Sorry," she said trying to catch her breath. "This. We uhm. It's going a bit too uhm," she stammered. "Too fast?" Dutchy finished her sentence. Kate put her hand at her forehead and nodded before she slowly walked back to the bed and sat down next to him. "I like this. I like you," she confessed. "But we shouldn't do things we—" "Regret later on?" he finished her sentence again.

Dutchy agreed. She meant too much to him to let anything be wrecked by doing something stupid. "Let's get something to drink when we talk about—" "This?" Kate finished. "Yeah," he answered with a grin. With a quick glance through the room he noticed the mini bar near the desk. "What do you want to drink?" he asked.

"Something sensible," she answered which resulted in a big laugh from Dutchy. "Does that mean just drinking one bottle of each or drinking solely, for example, vodka?" he teased her. "Oh," Kate sighed. "Isn't there some wine?" she wondered. Dutchy looked and shook his head. "Vodka, Rum, Whiskey, Bacardi or Gin," he gave her the available options.

Dutchy took two bottles and handed one to Kate who had straightened her dress and sat upright on the bed. "Let's start with this," he said. He sat down next to her and stroked her thigh. "So when did you decide to stay here for the night?" he asked her. Kate shrugged and opened her bottle of vodka. "This afternoon," she answered. Dutchy nodded and swallowed down some vodka before he dared to ask her his next question. "Has it anything to do with me?"

Kate laughed and shook her head. "Sorry. I just needed some time off the ship," she answered, seeing his disappointed look. "Oh, but it doesn't mean I don't like this," she quickly added. "Why do you think it has anything to do with you?" she asked. "You just said you liked this" he said indicating at them both before taking a large gulp of his vodka. Kate also took a gulp and looked at him. "What do you want?" she asked him cryptically. Dutchy looked up and tried to make eye contact but every time he looked up she tried to avoid his look.

"I like you too. I mean—," this was harder than he had thought it would be. "I like you more than just 'liking'. If you know what I mean," he said. Kate nodded and touched his hand with her fingers. "I know what you mean Dylan. But I don't know what to think of you. I don't want to end up as one of your convertible girls," she said while looking him straight in the eye. _Oh god, he had such beautiful eyes_. She thought. She could drown in them. If she would look much longer she couldn't vouch for herself so she looked away again.

"One of my convertible girls? Kate, you're so much more than that," Dutchy exclaimed. "You're—" before he could say anything else Kate kissed him. The kiss deepened up to a point where they forgot their surroundings. Suddenly Dutchy felt something wet on his shirt and when he looked down he realised Kate was spilling her vodka. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said when she realised what she was doing. Dutchy got up and took the empty bottle from her and placed it on the side table. While he had his back on her Kate said: "I'm not looking for a fling." She sounded pretty serious so Dutchy turned around and shook his head. "Neither am I Kate," he stated.

Kate sighed. Her head was spinning. She had to take his words in slowly. This was the beginning of something and if they played it right it could become more. "Let's take it slow," she thought out loud. Dutchy nodded and sat down next to her. "Well, we've got to. As long as you're still on the ship," he said without finishing his sentence. Kate nodded too. "We'll keep it off the ship," she said dreamily.

It felt good, admitting to their feelings but it was also a bit awkward. 'Taking it slow' what did that mean? Kate wished she hadn't said that so she could get a bit further than just kissing. She looked at his gorgeous body and saw the wet stain on it. "You better take off your shirt," she said. It was a well meant advise but it would give her the advantage of seeing his muscular torso.

Dutchy looked at Kate and smiled. He knew why she wanted him to take off his shirt. He could get them some new drinks and spill some of his on her dress to pull off the same stunt. No, he thought, taking it slow meant they were not to do foolish things but talk about non important stuff instead. He did get up from the bed again to take off his shirt and while he was standing he got to the mini bar to get them something else to drink. "Here's something sensible," he said while he handed her a bottle of whiskey. "There was some more vodka but I'm scared you're just using that to get me out of my clothes," he joked.

"I am not!" Kate defended although she couldn't hide her smile. She stretched out on the bed and patted the spot next to her. "I got you," Dutchy teased. "Although, you could have easily asked me to take off my shirt. I would have taken it off." Kate looked at him as if she was caught and while Dutchy stretched down next to her he smiled.

Dutchy put his whiskey down on the table and rolled on top of Kate. "Where does 'taking it slow' end and where does 'this goes too fast' start?" he asked. Kate tried to hide a yawn while she put her bottle down too. "I don't know Dylan," she seriously answered. "I'm tired and a bit confused," she admitted before she put her hands on his bare back. Dutchy nodded and rolled off of her onto his back while putting his hands under his head. Kate rolled along with him and ended up on top of him before she kissed him again.

When she broke away from the kiss Kate looked at Dutchy and let her finger trace along his muscled arms. "Great arms," she admired. Dutchy chuckled. "That's what you get when you carry lots of crates full of wine," he explained. Kate stopped and looked at him confused. "Wine? I thought you said there wasn't any wine at the mini bar," she said. Dutchy quickly kissed her on her nose before he nodded. "No, there isn't. I carried lots of crates at home. You see our neighbours—," he tried to explain.

Kate didn't really know what he was talking about. Suddenly she felt really tired and things didn't make sense anymore. She put her head down on his chest and just listened to Dutchy's explanation. "They had a vineyard and as a kid I helped them with all kinds of odd jobs. What kind of wine do you like?" he asked. Kate opened her eyes and tried to shrug. "White wine," she answered.

Dutchy caressed her body and put a strand of her hair behind her ear. "White? The next time I'm going to visit my old neighbours I'll bring some wine back for you," he offered. "Mmmmmm," was the only reaction he got. He lifted his head to see what Kate was doing but she had her eyes closed and wasn't doing much else. "Or I could get you some really good red wine," he thought. "Mmm," Kate replied, a bit shorter this time. "You're really tired, aren't you. Here am I talking about wine while all you need is to get under a blanket," he uttered.

Kate didn't even react anymore. She probably had fallen asleep. Dutchy looked around and thought on how to handle things next. She slept against his chest and if he would move she would wake up. She was so pretty and with a smile he looked at her. He couldn't wake her now so he just stayed where he was. Actually he was tired too so he closed his eyes for a while, just listening to her breathing. He didn't realise how he drifted off into a wonderful sleep himself.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kate woke up because of the alarm she had set on her mobile. She opened her eyes and tilted her head towards the sound but there was a slight problem. Sprawled over her was Dutchy and he, with his huge body, was pinning her to the bed. He had one leg possessively across her body with the other leg pressed firmly against her. Kate tried to move but the weight of this man was too much for her. He didn't even wake up by the irritating sound which by now was even more frequently ringing.

If Kate wanted to get from underneath Dutchy she had to peel him off. One of his arms was wrapped under her head with his hand resting on her forehead. His other arm was on her stomach which to Kate's surprise was not covered by her dress anymore. Momentarily she forgot her quest to get from underneath Dutchy and examined what had happened to it. During the night it must have twisted itself up to where it was now; all packed together at the top of her body. Dutchy had, at some point, slid his hand underneath the material and was now cupping her breast.

"Dylan," she whispered. He needed to wake up but she didn't want to scare him. If he would make a sudden move he could squash her. "Dylan," she tried again, this time kissing his forehead. While she moved her head his hand fell back onto the mattress. That was one limb peeled off. The alarm on her mobile started buzzing again which really got on Kate's nerves. "Come on Dylan," she said a bit louder while she removed his hand from her breast. Only his legs to go and she was free to move. "Dy-lan!" she stated loudly.

Kate looked at the sleeping face and wished she had more time to admire him or just enjoy his warmth but they needed to be back at the ship so she really had to get out of bed. The mobile stopped. Kate tried to sit up but when she moved Dutchy started to moan and put his hand back where it was previously. "Petty officer Mulholland you better wake up and remove your hand off my breast!" Kate ordered with the voice she would use on the ship, in a last attempt to get him to move.

Dutchy had been snoozing for a while. He did hear his mobile going off – although the ringtone was unfamiliar and he had never heard his mobile calling him by his rank and full name. With a jolt Dutchy sat up right and looked around sheepishly. "Ma'am," he said automatically as a response when he saw Kate. It all came back to him what had happened the night before. She was rearranging her dress before she got off the bed. "It's time to get back to the ship," she said. Dutchy yawned and let himself fall back onto the bed and looked at Kate. "Five more minutes?" he said suggestively.

Kate sat back down next to him and bent forward to kiss him. "You see, there is this great bathroom here with a nice shower which I intent to use before I'll go back to the Hammersley. You do know what you're asking of me?" she pointed at a door. "Oh and don't say 'is that an invitation' because it's not," she added before kissing him again.

Dutchy smiled and enjoyed the passionate kiss they were sharing. He put his arms around her body and pressed her against his own. "I love doing this," he said. Kate kissed him again and grabbed her phone from the side table. "We need to get moving," she said looking at the time. "I really want to get a nice shower and I think it's best if we don't show up at the same time. Not if we want to do this more often," she suggested. Dutchy opened his arms to let her go and while she got off the bed and opened her bag he looked at his watch. "I think I'll leave now," he said.

Kate rummaged through her bag and got her clean underwear out before she looked at Dutchy again. "I think that's a very good idea," she said. To her surprise Dutchy didn't move at all and was staring at her, hiding a smile behind his hand. "What?" she asked but Dutchy couldn't say anything without bursting into laughter. Kate looked at herself to find out what was so funny while Dutchy got off the bed and walked to where she was standing. He pointed at her undies and kissed her quickly. "They're an improvement to the pink ones you wore in hospital," he finally managed to say. "I would love to see the expression on the next foreign fishing man's face when he finds out the woman ordering him around is wearing black laced undies with a cute little bow on the front," he teased her.

Kate hit Dutchy playfully on his chest. "I happen to like my underwear," she defended herself. "I don't care what foreign fishing men think. I—" she stopped when she saw Dutchy laughing even more. "Oh," she grunted. "Why am I even saying this." Dutchy leant forward and peppered small kissed on the side of her face towards her ear before softly saying: "I didn't say anything about not liking your undies Kate, I happen to quite like them on you." To gain some composure she pushed him away towards the door. "I'll see you back at the ship Dylan, I'm going for a shower now so move." she said before she entered the bathroom. The shower was great but the fact it was still very early or that she couldn't enjoy the luxury any longer made Kate feel a bit sad. After the events of the night, she had forgotten about what happened between her and Mike, but by the time she was back on Hammersley her bad feeling of the night before was back completely.

Kate dumped her bag in her cabin, got the printed version of her transfer request for Mike and took it to hand it to him personally. The night before, before she had gone off to the hotel, she had sent the request off to Navcom. As much as she loathed the moment to stand in front of Mike and giving him the letter, she knew she had to do it. It was up to her to inform him and not Maxine or anyone else.

Kate knocked on his door and waited for him to open it. While she was waiting RO walked passed to get back to the comcen. He stopped on his way. "Oh ma'am, we're ready to set sail. We just got one tiny little problem," he said, indicating with his fingers the size of the problem. "What is it?" Kate asked. "No CO," he said before he made a dramatic pause.

Kate's mind started working but the few too many drinks of the night before prevented her from thinking straight. "No one has seen him all morning. According to the peg board he's off the boat and he's not answering his mobile," RO continued. It seemed he was well organised this morning, although that didn't surprise Kate at all.

Kate looked at the peg board and saw for herself what RO was saying. She walked back to his cabin and opened the door. It was empty and the bed was still made. While she closed the door again Kate realised Mike had tried to call her a few times the night before. Maybe if she listened to his messages on her voice mail she could get a clue to where he could be.

"_Yeah Kate, listen. It's ah Mike. I'm on Stuart Mason's boat and Cavanaugh is here. He wants to hire Mason to find a mini sub that he's lost. It's got to be a drug sub. It explains why they needed the salvaging cable and how they're bringing the drugs in," _Mike's voice said in a hushed way.

Kate suddenly realised what she had done. Mike was in trouble and she could have helped him a long time ago. If she had just picked up her phone or had just listened to her voice mail. She almost sprinted her way up to the bridge where she called the harbour master to find out when Mason's boat had left. "More than eight hours ago?" was Charge's shocked reaction when he heard. "We know their general heading though," Dutchy tried to stay optimistic.

Without looking at him Kate nodded. Nobody noticed anything about her awkward feeling since everyone started to think out loud. The coordinates of the original boarding of Cavanaugh's boat would be the perfect place to start looking. If they wanted to get moving they needed to get permission. "RO get me Navcom on the line," Kate ordered. "Dutchy prepare to take the ship," she continued.

The ship was abuzz while Kate tried to call Mike again. Like RO had said earlier the call went straight to message bank which made Kate feel even more guilty. If she hadn't behaved so childishly the night before this wouldn't have happened. The only way to make up to Mike was to get him away from Cavanaugh before that guy would realise who Mike was.

Not much later they had sailed away from port and were working well together to find Mason's boat by tracking his sonar system. Dutchy was a bit worried about Kate. She looked so different all of a sudden. This morning she was this gleaming person and all what was left of that person now was a worried looking one sitting in the captain's chair. "We'll find him," he assured her. For some reason she didn't dare to look at him when she said: "This is my fault."

Dutchy couldn't follow her train of thoughts at all. "It's no one's fault, X," he tried to comfort her. "You don't understand" she said. "I deliberately dropped his call last night." "Why would you do that?" he wondered. "I was with you remember?" she whispered. Dutchy tried to hide a smile, remembering the previous night. He could understand why anyone would drop a call if you were out on a romantic night but why would she feel so guilty right now? He just couldn't understand that.

Suddenly there was some new information. Charge and RO heard a high frequency output which could be Mason's sonar. Dutchy turned to look at the radar and saw a new contact. "That's Mason's boat. Chart a course for intercept," Kate said, pleased they'd got something to work with. "Swain, pipe boarding stations," she ordered while she got up from the captain's chair.

"X, where are you going?" Charge asked her when he caught her at the top of the stairs. "To lead the boarding," Kate answered as if it was obvious what she was going to do. "Ma'am, you're acting CO. You can't leave the ship," Charge told her. Kate was taken aback. Mike was on that ship and it was her responsibility to get him back and now she had to stay on the bridge. It didn't feel right. "I, um—" she started but Charge put his hands on her shoulder in a protecting kind of way and said: "I'll go, X." Kate had to trust her sailors and herself.

Since Kate didn't go on the boarding Dutchy was in charge. On the boat they found Cavanaugh and his men but not Mike or Mr. Mason. After searching the ship they found Anton Gorski's wife, all tied up. She could tell them that Mike and Mr. Mason were put in the sub and that Anton was towing the sub to deep water to sink it.

Kate's cheerful mood on finding Mr. Mason's boat so quickly vanished into thin air when she heard that last piece of news. Together with RO she managed to find a logical place to where Gorski would tow the sub. It was a lot faster if she would sent the RHIB to that position than to manoeuvre the Hammersley to that spot. "Dutchy, X, over," she said through the radio. "Yes, go ahead," Dutchy responded. "I'm sending the second RHIB over to collect everybody and bring them back here. I want your team in the RHIB heading north-east. Once you're in the water I'll vector you in position," she ordered.

Kate hoped they wouldn't be too late but until she had confirmation about the well-being of Mike she couldn't do much more than that. Hope. She stood behind RO who followed the RHIB on the EOD. At the same time Dutchy came in over the radio to tell them they had a visual of the sub they saw the thing on the EOD. Kate held onto her breath while she saw how the RHIB got closer.

Dutchy stood tall on the RHIB while they approached the sub. He could feel the tension of the other crewmembers in the RHIB and wished they could move even faster. If Gorski was going to sink the sub he would have to do it by remote control. His boat wasn't anywhere near which meant he probably had some sort of explosives put in the sub. They had to move quickly and find the explosives before anyone could set them off.

With fear and hope in their eyes they got closer to the sub. They had almost reached it when, with the loudest bang they ever heard, the sub was blown up. They had to duck to avoid flying debris and were drenched by the sudden flood of water. The first thing Dutchy did when he was able to look up again was to check if his crewmembers were all still there.

Kate was glued to the EOD when the bomb went off. Her breathing stopped and her stomach twisted and turned in opposite directions. She had just seen how Mike Flynn, her CO, was blown up. There was no way anyone would survive that. "Dutchy, you've got anything?" Kate hoped. As long as she didn't get confirmation on anyone's death there was hope.

"Nothing so far, X," Dutchy answered while looking around. He wished he could give her another answer but by just looking at the debris it would be a miracle to find _anything_. Bomber saw something and when they all looked at the water they looked in disgust. "X, we've found uh," Dutchy said, not knowing if he should say this. "Go ahead Dutchy," he heard a tearful X on the other end. "We've found evidence of human remains." Dutchy said, knowing he had to give her this news. "Copy that," Kate choked.

Kate was fighting back the tears she felt burning in her eyes. She was the acting CO, she was the person who had to keep everyone together at this point. She couldn't lose it and start crying right now. "RO, you've got the ship," she said before she removed herself from the bridge. The RHIB would be back soon and Kate wanted to be there for her crew. That meant she had to dry her tears away.

While she waited out on deck she wondered why she cried in the first place. Had Mike not been a total prick by telling her he wouldn't trust her, even with a tug boat? She had waited a good deal of her time for him to make sure what he wanted. To let him show her where he thought their relationship would go, just to find out he wasn't on the same level of commitment as she. It had made her run away from the Hammersley the previous night but deep down inside she knew Mike had meant more to her. Kate would have wanted to talk things through, even if it meant deciding to move on and that wasn't possible anymore.

The RHIB came back and one by one the crewmembers came back on board. Charge walked passed her mumbling a "Sorry ma'am," while 2Dads and Bomber just quickly passed without saying anything. Swain and Dutchy stayed behind not wanting to leave Kate all alone and she didn't seem to move. "Navcom are sending out search vessel 'Paluma'. They will sweep and uh — and they'll collect—" Kate tried to explain what was going on but her tears came back.

Dutchy watched as Kate and Swain talked. Kate had shed a lot of tears, that was obvious. He could understand why any of the crew would be down at this point but Kate was plain miserable. Why would she shed so many tears for someone if there wasn't an alternative reason? All of a sudden he realised what was going on. When he had asked her if he was the reason for her transfer request she had answered negatively. He wasn't the 'personal reason' for her request. Mike had been!

He was nothing more than the rebound guy but he couldn't start that discussion right here. Kate was really depressed and so would he be if the roles were reversed. The only thing he could do for her now was to be as professional as possible and help her find the killer of Mike Flynn. "Gorski's out there somewhere," he said trying to sound friendly. "We've still got unfinished business." "Cavanaugh is not saying anything," Kate retorted. "What about Sylvana?" Dutchy tried. Kate kept staring at him for a long time as if she was trying to figure out what he had just said and then she turned around and walked back inside. Dutchy was left alone with jealous feelings and hoped Kate would get her transfer quickly, even if it was just to have her out of his sight.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Kate looked at the woman, Sylvana Gorski, sitting in the wardroom. She had just been saved from an unpleasant death and all she could care about was how she looked. Kate even thought she saw the woman flirt with Swain which seemed so inappropriate in this situation, not to mention the fact that Swain was happily married. Instead of shaking the bimbo, or giving her a beating to make her see some sense Kate sighed and tried not to grunt when asking: "Your husband needs to offload the drugs before he skips the country. Do you know where he's taking them?" The woman gave her an annoying look in return and shrugged. "All I know is his contact is in Cairns," she replied.

Before Kate or anyone else could ask another question the door opened and RO stuck his head around the corner. He scanned the room and when he saw Kate he took a deep breath and blurted out in one go: "X, commander White's on the phone. She's been fully briefed on the situation." Kate nodded and took a step towards the door. "I'll take the call in—," she paused for a second as if she didn't know if she should use his name or not. "In the CO's cabin," she finally said when she saw RO's questioning look. "Swain get a description of Gorski's boat. Dutchy, come with me for a sec," she said while facing the two men in the room.

While RO went back up to the bridge Dutchy followed Kate out of the wardroom. All she needed to do was to order him to sail back to port but she wanted to give him the opportunity to give her a loving smile or a friendly gesture without having Swain around to stop him from doing so. She needed the assurance she was doing a good job or someone to tell her it wasn't all her fault but when she faced Dutchy she saw something in his eyes. He wasn't the same anymore. The soft, friendly look had gone. All she could see was a professional look on his face, simply waiting for her to give him an order or tell him what she wanted from him. Kate wished she had more time to talk and ask him what was going on but commander White was waiting on the phone. "Head for Cairns. Maximum speed," Kate ordered.

Dutchy was baffled. The X could have given him that order in the wardroom. She didn't have to get him on his own for such a simple order so what was going on? For a second he thought he saw a desperate woman standing in front of him. No, desperate was not the good word. It was more a woman reaching out for her lover but that seemed so unlikely. Kate was left behind in the hotel and the XO had come on board. He had stepped in Kate's traps and had spent some wonderful hours with her but that was a fairytale and since then he had woken up and the wonderful Kate had turned into the X again. She had used him to get over someone else and he didn't want to settle for second best. He wanted the real deal or nothing at all.

That's why he didn't understand the look in her eyes. If she had lied to him, if she had simply used him than why would she give him _that_ look. Did she have some feelings for him after all? Well, there was no time to wonder about that. They had a ship to run and while the X was making a phone call to commander White he was in charge of the ship. He'd better do what he was told to do and leave the questions for later on.

Kate opened the CO's cabin reluctantly. Mike's stuff would still be there and so would his smell. It was awkward to walk inside, even though she had done so many times before. This time was different since she was acting CO and the real one would never come back. The guilt about dodging his phone calls came back. The feeling of knowing that it shouldn't have ended like this was tremendous. At the same time it was partly his own fault. Mike had made it clear to her that he didn't trust her while he never ever had said anything before. She had waited for him for so long and she had trusted _him_ and it had turned out all to be a lie. She was not good enough for him, not professionally nor personally because if that was the case he would have made a move so they could be together.

_You're a moron, Mike_ she thought before sitting down at the desk and picking up the phone. RO's voice told her that Commander White's call was being transferred and then she heard a tick, knowing the line to Navcom was opened. "Commander White, lieutenant McGregor speaking," she said as plain as she could, trying to hide her true feelings. "Kate, how are you holding up?" Commander White asked. "I'm," Kate choked. She wasn't crying or going to but the sympathetic sound of Commander White's voice made her realise that they had just lost a human life. This was not the time to be angry with Mike. "I'm sorry for you loss, but now is the time for strength, Kate," Commander White said, misinterpreting her choking for an emotional intermission. "You're acting commanding officer of Hammersley," Commander White continued.

That last remark was something Kate didn't have to be reminded of. She didn't feel like she was the acting CO though, she couldn't even control her own feelings. "I understand ma'am," she politely replied. "We are currently steaming for Cairns. We believe Gorski is heading there with a shipment of drugs," Kate stated as a matter of fact. It was the best she could do right now, stick to facts. "Alright, I'll put the port on alert. Now, the federal police have been notified. We will do e-very-thing we can to catch this man," Commander White replied also starting with facts but ending with the hope to get some justice for Mike by catching his killer.

And there it was, the guilt and responsibility for the death and the sadness of losing a crewmember were back and hitting hard. Kate swallowed back the tears and repositioned herself on her chair hoping that it would make the sad feeling go away. Commander White gave her some time to compose herself again but then said sternly: "Lieutenant McGregor, you have a patrol to finish and a ship to bring in. You can do this." Kate couldn't hold back the tears which were pricking in her eyes and a lump was forming in her throat. "I don't know that I can," she choked.

Kate hated herself for showing her weakness so easily. Kate McGregor was a strong woman who wouldn't show herself like that, not even when someone told her she wasn't good enough. "Well, Mike Flynn obviously thought you were capable," she heard Commander White say. Kate felt shocked. Was commander White toying with her? "He added your name to my list of candidate CO's," she continued to Kate's amazement. "I'm sorry. He added my name?" she uttered in disbelieve, quickly trying to find the list she had seen the day before. "He rejected my list and he put your name right at the top," Commander White explained. "So if Mike Flynn thinks you are CO material – who are you or I to doubt that?" she continued.

While holding on to the list Kate finished the conversation with Commander White and then just sat for a moment. She had been so wrong about Mike. He wasn't talking about _her_ when he mentioned the non capable group of people. He _did_ trust her and even worse she had been his only option for his replacement. If she hadn't dodged his call, if she had just let him explain the situation than maybe, maybe he wouldn't be dead now. The knowledge of his trust did give her a boost to do what she was tasked to do; bring in the ship so that was what she was going to do. She dried her tears, straightened her uniform and left the CO's cabin.

Kate walked up the stairs to the bridge to find all the sailors working in silence. There wasn't any news to report only that they were still a fair bit away from Cairns but travelling at full speed. Kate thanked Dutchy for the sitrep and looked outside. The sea was calm and there wasn't much wind. In fact the only thing she could hear were the machines beeping and the air conditioning blowing cool air onto the bridge. Kate turned around and overlooked the bridge from the captain's chair. "We are not giving up," she started her motivational speech. "The man who killed our commanding officer is out there somewhere. If Gorski is heading for Cairns we _will_ catch up with him," she said making eye contact with every sailor present.

The little pep talk didn't have the effect Kate was hoping for until Dutchy found a contact on the radar. "I got nothing on AIS. 2Dads, bring it up on the EOD," Kate quickly ordered. Suddenly the bridge was back alive again with everyone working well together. Kate looked at the image on the EOD and was excited. "That's him. Swain, pipe boarding stations," she elatedly said. The vessel on screen was an exact match with the description Mrs. Gorski had given. "Full Kevlar, extra plates," Kate added to Swain's order. Gorski wouldn't know what hit him but as the acting CO she had to protect her sailors to the fullest.

Kate sat stoic in the captain's chair while everyone around her moved. Everyone knew what to do and what their role would be on the boarding. It felt so wrong to stay on the bridge while she knew she was best in being the leader on boardings. Besides, she didn't want to sit around and watch one of her remaining sailors getting injured or, even worse, killed by Gorski. Without hesitating any longer she moved towards the locker room. "I'll take it, X," Charge said when he saw her moving. "Not this time, Charge," she responded almost without stopping or looking at him. "Ma'am, you can't," he said in disbelieve. "Stuff protocol, Charge. You have the ship!"

The short ride towards the luxury cruiser was refreshing to everyone. It didn't take long for them to capture four men, either injured or undamaged. While Kate left her crew behind on deck she followed one of the guys downstairs. She hadn't seen Gorski on deck so it was a good possibility he was the one going down. She had to be careful but when she was checking the rooms Gorski got her off guard. He pulled her backwards so she lost her balance and then catapulted her towards the main bedroom. He had her gun and pinned her down on the bed. Kate had to come up with a plan, fast, or she would be just as dead as Mike Flynn.

Anton Gorski didn't seem to get the gun aimed at her head well enough to fire which gave Kate some time. She tried to get her torch from one of the pockets and when she got it she hit him hard between the eyebrows. Gorski fell back onto the bed rubbing his head. It gave Kate a few seconds to get back her gun and get off the bed. She aimed at the guy who had killed Mike. She aimed the gun at the guy who almost had killed _her_. He became the person to blame for everything that had gone wrong that day and she had the perfect opportunity to end it right there and then. Part of her wanted to pull the trigger and just shoot the guy but that was not how it worked. She couldn't simply kill the guy. Not when he was down already and harmless.

Kate couldn't shoot the guy but lowering her gun turned out to be equally difficult. It wasn't until Swain and 2Dads came down and made her put it down. 2Dads put tie ribs around Gorski's hands and lead him upstairs to be taken back to Hammersley. Kate could still feel the adrenaline flowing through her body and Swain probably could see it too. He checked her gun but didn't give it back. All the criminals were taken into custody so there was no threat anymore and she wouldn't need it. "Are you coming?" Swain asked when it seemed she was glued to her spot. "I just need a minute," Kate exhaled.

Swain left and Kate sat down on the bed to get back her composure. It was hard to get her breathing back to normal or get over the cold shivers that went down her spine. She couldn't even be happy yet about the fact they had caught the bloody mongrel together with the drugs and some of his drug runners. In time the good feeling about that would come but the bad feeling, the feeling things should have been different would stay for a long time. Kate was about to go back up when she heard knocking on the side panelling. She had never finished her search and now Swain got her gun. Would there be a sixth criminal? Wouldn't that person have shown his face by now? Very carefully she stood up and walked towards where the sound came from.

Dutchy had seen the X go downstairs and not much later Swain and 2Dads had followed. The X had not come back up yet but 2Dads had brought up the main suspect and had taken him into the RHIB to be escorted to the Hammersley. Swain had told him the X needed a minute but since Swain had given that information a few minutes had past. He could already see the RHIB coming back to collect the last of the boarding party.

To alert the X of the news Dutchy went down to find her. She wasn't where Swain had said she would be and she definitely hadn't come up so where was she? Then he heard muffled voices. Cautiously he moved to the opening and peeped around the corner. There she was, bent over a man's body who was holding her head. "I thought you were dead," the X whispered. "Oh, I'm so sorry Kate," came a shaken voice from underneath her. It was the CO! Dutchy wanted to walk in and be happy to have found him alive but at that point the X was pulled closer to the CO's face and all Dutchy could hear was the sound of a kiss. To look at her and see her kiss another man was simply painful!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Dutchy was the first to get out of the RHIB and climb back onboard the Hammersley. He didn't even stay and help Mike Flynn who most definitely couldn't get up without help. Nobody really noticed his behaviour since Kate started helping Mike wherever she could so instead Dutchy decided to show some leadership and tell the crew what to do. Everywhere he looked he saw happy faces and he himself was happy their CO wasn't dead after all, but to see the image of him with Kate around his neck was excruciating for him.

Kate walked behind Mike while he climbed up the steel stairs at the back of the Hammersley. The last thing they needed now was for him to take a tumble and end up in the drink. He had gone through enough already and needed to get checked up by Swain and most of all some rest. After she had found him she cut the rope around his wrists and removed the gag from his face and at that point he had pulled her into an embrace. First it was just a hug from a man who thought he would never see his friends again but then he had pulled her face closer to his own and had pressed his lips against hers. She was so happy that Mike Flynn wasn't dead, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, that she had allowed for him to kiss her.

The kiss was some sort of revelation though. Kate realised she didn't have the tingling feeling, the overflowing feeling of love that she normally had while kissing this man. It was gone. It was then that she pulled away from his embrace and told him to follow her back to the Hammersley. She would do anything to help him get back but from now on he was just another crewmember.

Mike reached the top where he was greeted by a round of applause from everyone present. He turned around and wanted to grab Kate's arm and let her share in the happiness. She was the one who had found him so she should get the credits for that. She looked tired and didn't take his outstanding hand. "Come on Kate," he encouraged her. "Thanks to you I'm back," he said. Kate produced something of a smile and shook her head. "Enjoy the moment sir," she said and deliberately waited a few steps below the deck. Mike was whisked away by several sailors who wanted to congratulate him or touch him to feel for themselves that he was still alive but all he wanted to do was talk to Kate and ask her how she was doing. One more time he looked around and by now she had reached the deck. She was talking to Swain who came towards him and patted him on his shoulder. "Come on sir, you need to get checked," he said. "I know Swain," he replied. "But let me have a shower first."

Kate walked into the locker room to get the constricting boarding gear off but all she could do was stare straight in front of her. This day turned out to be the most emotional day of her life. It started all so well this morning with Dutchy waking up next to her. Then the few excruciating hours searching for Mike and thinking he was dead and then to find him back alive. It had drained all the energy from her body. Besides the events it was also an emotional day concerning her thoughts. The kiss she had received from Mike was nothing compared by the kisses she had received earlier that day from Dutchy. It was clear to her now who she was in love with, or at least she thought she was. Dutchy had sounded very hopeful which was good. As soon as she was posted on some other ship they could find out where their relationship would and could go.

Kate had been so deep in thought that she hadn't heard Dutchy coming in. he looked at her while unzipping his vest. There were so many things she wanted to say to him right now but it seemed impossible to vocalise what she was thinking. "You OK?" Dutchy asked. Kate nodded, happy he was the one to start the conversation. "Yeah," she exhaled. She should ask him how he was doing but all she could do was stare with unfocussed eyes at the wall. "Well, at least you don't have to beat yourself up now," Dutchy said jokingly. Kate dropped her look and stared at him, wanting to know what he meant by that. "For dropping his call," he continued just before he turned around and got his vest off.

His radio was tangled up in his neck and by pulling at the wires it only became worse. "Oh, sorry, can you just?" Dutchy muttered. Kate moved towards him and helped him remove the radio. "Dutchy," she started but she waited for him to turn around and face her again before she went on. "The reason that I dropped the boss' call was—" she started.

_Because you had just been in a fight with your lover and you didn't want to talk to him._ Dutchy thought. "Because you were out having a good time with friends and you didn't want to be bothered with ship's business," he said instead trying to smile and sound believingly. "Yeah, that's right," Kate answered after she looked at him in disbelieve. She probably knew he was lying through his teeth. She even backed off a bit. "Dutchy. Dutchy, I—" Kate started. _I need to tell you that our night together was a mistake. My fight with Mike Flynn was a mistake and now he's back, alive and kicking, I want to make up with him_. Dutchy filled in what he thought Kate was going to say. He really didn't want to hear it. "It's OK, X," he said, stopping her from telling him anything he didn't want to hear. "It is. Really," he said when he saw Kate still about ready to give her explanation. It was more to convince himself but it looked like Kate bought it too. "Thank you," she said.

Dutchy left the room without waiting for Kate to get her gear off. He was too upset to stay and talk to her even more. He needed to stay away from her to protect himself. He had fallen for her, fallen hard, but by now he had figured out that Kate's feelings lay elsewhere. He was angry at himself for feeling this way. With a scowl on his face, he flung the door to his cabin open and kicked it shut angrily.

Kate was too tired to realise he wasn't staying around to help her. When she was ready putting her vest away she went to her cabin to get a quick shower and put on some clean clothes but after doing so she still felt tired and drained. What she really needed was some coffee or food to give her an energy boost. Quickly Kate walked to the galley to get a drink and something to eat before she would have to go back to the bridge.

The galley was empty which wasn't such a surprise. They would be back in port in a few hours so they didn't need to cook dinner and most of the crew were up at the bridge now all the excitement was over. Actually Kate didn't mind the quiet moment to herself. Everything was going to be OK now Mike was back and even things with Dutchy would be OK. She must have thought wrong when, earlier that day, he seemed a bit stand-offish. Nevertheless, it did trouble her that back on the boat, he wanted to keep his distance, even if it was because they were both acting as professionals. Being professional was why they had to keep their conversation in the locker room pretty vague too, but she was glad she could explain her actions just a little bit already. The fact that Dutchy understood was a big relief to her too. He was such a nice guy and as soon as her transfer came through they could pursue their feelings.

In a better mood already Kate turned on the kettle to make herself some coffee. While she waited for the water to boiled she tapped her fingers on the sink but then she thought about the other reason why she had come to the galley. In one of the cupboards she would find something to eat for sure. Kate would settle for anything although the thing she really would like to eat now was some chocolate. Then she thought about Charge's secret stash of 'comfort food' which he hid somewhere in the galley. "Where would you hide your chocolates?" she wondered out loud while she opened the first cupboard.

"Ah there!" Kate said enthusiastically. She stood on her tiptoes, leaning against the sink while she tried to grab a package from the back of the cupboard. Charge was known to eat Tim Tams once in a while, even though he shouldn't eat them at all. Kate was sure the package would be filled with nice chocolate covered cookies but when she finally managed to grab the package and she could see what it was she was a bit disappointed. "Oh no," she shuddered feeling slightly sick at the sight of the chocolates. "Not those."

"Are you talking to yourself, X?" Kate heard someone say. Quickly, and a bit embarrassed, she closed the cupboard door. "Oh sorry sir," she said to Mike, trying to hide the chocolates from him. "I didn't hear you come in," she added. Before she, or he, could say anything the kettle clicked and Kate turned her attention to that. "It's alright," Mike said walking towards the kettle as well. "Do you uh, do you want a brew too sir?" she asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Mike nodded. A brew was one of the reasons why he had come to the galley. The other, more important, reason was to find Kate. While he had been tied up on Gorski's boat and he had nothing else to do than think a lot, things became very clear to him. If he wanted a relationship with Kate – one that would work - he had to get off the boat. He just hoped he wasn't too late. It sounded mean but he actually enjoyed the fact he had seen some irritation between Dutchy and Kate while they brought him back to the Hammersley. If there was ever a good time to get Kate's attention it was right now. "I'm not a pretty picture, hey," he joked while Kate poured him a cup of coffee. "You look a lot better than poor Mr. Mason," Kate replied dryly while she handed him the cup.

The conversation didn't go as he had hoped it would go but Mike wasn't about to give up easily. "Kate," he almost whispered. "I – I don't know what happened the other day. We didn't part as good friends and when I was in that sub and later tied and gagged on the yacht I felt terrible about it. It shouldn't end like this," he vividly spoke. Kate looked intently at her own coffee but didn't say anything. "I tried to figure out what had happened but I still don't know. Can you tell me now?" he wondered.

Kate sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore. Part of the reason I was angry turned out not to be completely true," she answered. Kate quickly looked at Mike and saw he wasn't really happy with her answer but the last thing she wanted was to get into a discussion with him right here right now. It was not something she wanted to do and he didn't need it after the life threatening hours he went through. "I'm asking you because you mean a lot to me and I would hate it if there was anything that would stand between us," he said. Kate nodded, hoping he would leave it at that and that he wouldn't embarrass her by saying anything else. "You see. We have a long history together and I hope that we–" Mike went on but Kate stopped him. "Don't," she said, knowing what he was going to say. "We'll always be friends but–" this time Mike stopped her. "Kate. I've decided to return to Navcom. We can finally be together, not just as friends," he said hopeful.

This was exactly what Kate was afraid of. Mike finally was prepared to make a move but it was too late. "Don't do it for me Mike," she barely whispered. "I've requested a transfer myself," she admitted. She looked the other way, not wanting to see the hurtful look in his eyes. Mike came a bit closer and took her hand in his own. "Why?" was the only thing he asked. "Is it because I waited too long or because there's something between you and Dutchy?" he asked. He didn't sound angry at all, more defeated. Kate looked up and saw his sad eyes. "I just don't love you anymore," she confessed. "I don't know what I feel for Dutchy but that's not the reason for my request. You see, I thought you didn't believe in me. The other day you said something about the list and not trusting the candidates. I was on the top of that list so I assumed you talked about me when you–" Kate stopped midsentence feeling a bit stupid about it. "It wasn't until later that I found out about why my name was on it," she continued.

Mike's heart broke in a thousand little pieces. "That's why you were angry with me the other day, wasn't it," he asked. Kate just nodded. "Then you don't have to leave," he stated. "Please Kate. We're a good team. Why would we break up something like that?" he asked her. Kate shook her head and looked at the floor. "It was the straw that broke the camel's back. Nothing major all little things together which led up to this point," Kate answered. By now Mike started to be a bit more desperate. If Kate had made up her mind he had to come up with something really good to convince her otherwise. "Can I ask you for one more chance?" he begged. Kate sighed again and shrugged. He knew that if he could persuade her now he had a slight chance. She already began to falter a bit. "Please," he begged some more.

Kate knew it wouldn't make any difference if she would wait any longer but she could end this painful conversation by saying she would think about it. "Talking about it right now isn't going to change my mind. I am willing to talk about it at an appropriate time," she said as a compromise. Mike agreed to it and seemed to be happy with her answer. "Are you going to have one of those?" he asked. Kate didn't know what he was talking about but turned around to see at what Mike was pointing at. "A bounty?" she shrugged. "Yeah. I love those," Mike said eagerly. His mood seemed to have changed by just seeing a piece of coconut covered in chocolate. "I remember that," Kate said with a laugh. "You went through a coconut period. I myself don't really care for them," she said.

Mike took a piece from the packet while Kate made herself some more coffee. While she waited for the water to boil again Mike left the galley which left her on her own again. She didn't mind it at all. After they arrived in port there would be enough 'excitement' going on. She wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet for as long as possible.

When they arrived in port there were different cars parked on the dock. The feds were awaiting their prisoners, the people from the morgue were picking up the two dead criminals and an ambulance was waiting to bring Mike to hospital for a thorough check up. If Kate was right she could even see Commander White's car waiting on the docks. One by one the different cars left again and slowly the first sailors started to leave as well. In the end only Kate and Dutchy were left. Kate saw him walking the gangway so she ran to catch up with him. "Dylan," she said when she finally reached him. "What about some drinks at my place," she said invitingly. He shook his head and continued to walk away. "Maybe some other time," he answered. "I thought you'd want to be in hospital with the boss," he added. Kate got hold of his arm and tried to stop him. "Why would I want to do that?" she wondered. Dutchy stopped and turned around to face her. "You tell me," he threatened. He wasn't lingering on for an answer and walked away, briskly, leaving Kate behind in total confusion.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kate was ordered to come to Navcom and even though Commander White had told her why she couldn't remember it anymore. All she could think of was what had happened on the docks between Dutchy and herself. Why was he so aggressive? What had she done to deserve such behaviour? Kate slowed down when she saw the building in front of her. It wouldn't look good if she came in being as disturbed as she felt right now. It wouldn't be professional.

Kate tried to shed the thought about Dutchy for a minute and focus on her work. She did remember Commander White wanted to debrief the last patrol, which wasn't such a strange thing, it was something they always did after a patrol. Debriefing was one thing but there had been something else. Even if she thought long and hard she couldn't remember what it was. She just had to go with the flow and improvise if necessary. Inside Navcom it was nice and cool but it didn't help Kate who still felt hot and sticky. "Oh really, get a grip," she berated herself before she moved towards Commander White's office.

"Kate, come in," Commander White said invitingly, friendly gesturing to her when she walked passed the office. "It must be wonderful to know Mike Flynn is still with us," Commander White spoke happily. Kate nodded and slowly moved towards the chair near the desk. She waited for Commander White to move to the other side of the desk and tell her it was OK to sit down. "I know you must be tired and you want to go home and rest," Commander White said when she realised Kate was waiting for her.

Maxine moved to her chair and gestured to Kate she could sit down. "Before we can put our feet up and relax there are two things I want to discuss with you. It won't take long, I promise," she said. Kate gave her a thankful smile and sat down as she told. "Thank you," she muttered. "The first thing I want to do is debrief the patrol. I gather you brought all the paperwork with you," she asked. It was more a statement since she already could see Kate had brought along the paperwork. Kate nodded and handed her the folder. "Take your time and just start telling me the happenings from the beginning. Guide me through the reports, sort of speak," Maxine said before she smiled at Kate.

Kate felt like she was treated like a sick child but decided not to say anything about it. The sooner she was finished the sooner she could go home. She told and recalled all the incidents step by step until they reached the last report. Commander White closed the folder and put it away. From another folder she pulled out a piece of paper and placed it in front of her. She put her hands next to it and quickly looked at the piece of paper before she looked up and looked Kate straight in the eyes. "Now to the second matter," Commander White said before she looked at the paper again. "Your transfer request," she stated slowly.

That was the other matter Commander White wanted to talk to her about. How could she forget? "I'm going to be honest with you Kate," Commander White started sounding concerned. "I'm not too happy about this request but it's your life and your choice. You didn't enclose much on your reasons to ask for a transfer," Commander White said. Kate looked her in the eye for just a second before she looked down at the carpet. "Lieutenant McGregor," Commander White said sternly which made Kate look up again. "You don't have to tell me now although I can't just pick you up from the Hammersley and place you on another boat if I don't have a reason for the transfer. So–" Commander White continued. "I'm not going to comply to your wishes."

Kate wanted to protest and took a deep breath to start her rant when Commander White held up her hand and stopped her from speaking. "Let me finish," she ordered. "Like I said you don't have to tell me the reason right now. You've gone through enough today but before I'm able to transfer you to anything other than the Hammersley I need more information," she said. Kate nodded and quietly sighed in relieve. The last thing she needed right now was to explain the messed up situation she was in. "To be honest Kate," Commander White continued in a friendly voice. "I think you need some time to think and I do agree with you that some time off of the Hammersley would be good. That's why, until you're ready to tell me some more, you're going to work here at Navcom," she proposed. "Not as a permanent posting though and not as an official transfer. Mainly temporarily."

Kate couldn't be happier with this outcome. She would be off the ship and it would give her some extra time to think on what she really wanted. "I'll give you a couple of days off before you start," Commander White told her. "For now. Dismissed."

Dutchy had come home in a foul mood. For a short moment in his life he had thought he was going to have a serious relationship with a woman. Not anything like the flings he had had before with women Kate had called his 'convertible girls'. _Kate_. He hated himself for having picked her, of all women, to fall in love with. If he was honest it would have never worked. She was still his boss but most importantly she was not in love with him. She had said she was, although he started to doubt if she had actually said the words 'I love you' to him. It didn't matter. She did make him believe there was a future for them together while there was not.

To get his mind on something else he ordered Thai food, not feeling up to cooking that night. The delivery guy could show up any minute and Dutchy tried to get stuff together which he would need. No plate, he could eat out of the carton, a fork and a napkin. Actually he wasn't even hungry, he had to admit. Maybe, after he ate, he would go to the pub and get drunk. Kate hardly went out with the other crew members so the chance of meeting her that night would be small. Yeah, that was what he was going to do.

There was a knock on the door. Dutchy put the fork down on the table and looked at his watch. The delivery guy had made record time this evening. Normally he would have to wait much longer but he wasn't going to complain. Quickly he grabbed his wallet and walked towards the door to opened it. With a banknote in his hands he looked at the person on the other side of the door but to his shock it wasn't the delivery guy. "Who the hell do you think you are?" an angry looking Kate McGregor asked him. Dutchy was so flabbergasted that he didn't know what to say and in some sort of a reflex handed her the money as if she was the delivery guy after all.

"How dare you leave me on the docks?" Kate continued, ignoring the money Dutchy was handing her. From Navcom she had gone straight to Dutchy's place to demand an explanation. On her way over to his house she had tried to come up with a reason for him to be so rude but nothing had come to mind. When they left the Hammersley there had not been anyone around for them to see and what was there to see? They had been seen _together_ many times before in the past few weeks so why the refusal today? "Well? Why did you?" she demanded.

Dutchy pulled back his hand and shrugged. This woman had some nerve! Playing with his feelings the way she had done for weeks. He was nothing more than her rebound guy while he had thought this was going to be something more than a fling. Besides, she couldn't order him around, not in his own house. He was about to close the door when he saw a car stop in the street and an Asian looking man got out of it with his food. Dutchy simply ignored Kate and waited for the man to walk up to his door.

After he paid and the guy left he wanted to go inside but Kate was still standing with her demanding look. "Look, it's perfectly understandable you want to be with the boss. Not with me. Now, just leave me alone," Dutchy said before he turned around and gave the door a push. "What?" he heard her say while the door flung open again. "You leave me alone without any reason _and_ you know what I want?" she questioned him while she followed him inside. Dutchy put the food down on the table and abruptly turned around to almost bump into Kate. "You kissed him. I saw you two on the yacht," he bitterly explained. Kate's face became pale and her jaw dropped to the floor.

"I didn't kiss him," Kate said although it wasn't more than a whisper. Suddenly his reluctance to talk to her made some sense. He was acting like a jealous boyfriend. "He kissed me," she stretched but then her irritation came back. "And for your information," she stated. "That kiss didn't mean anything. I mean, I didn't feel anything," she admitted. Maybe it was more information than he was entitled to but she wanted to let him know she was serious about _them_. She looked at Dutchy and tried to make eye contact. "But you did once, didn't you?" he spit out. Kate stepped in closer to touch him. She wanted to feel him and let him feel that whatever there once was between any other man it was over and she wanted nothing more than him.

Dutchy looked at Kate, waiting for her to answer. When she touched his arm he pushed her away. Why didn't she just answer? Was she scared he wouldn't like to hear the truth? Oh God, she wasn't still having feelings for Mike Flynn, was she? He pried with his eyes to see if he could read it on her face. "Once yes," she finally admitted. "But does it matter right now?" she asked him in return. "I don't know," Dutchy answered. Should he believe her? He wanted to but what if this was just another trick to get him in her web? He wasn't totally convinced yet he wasn't more than her rebound guy.

"Oh Dylan. I can't believe you're jealous!" she exclaimed. "Jealous of something that doesn't exist anymore," she added while she looked around not knowing what else to say or do to convince him. "So," she finally said. "What happens now?" There was nothing more for her to do than wait and see what he wanted. Maybe he was right and had she been too stand-offish in the past weeks. Somewhere she knew he always had felt something more for her than just friendship. She hadn't even recognised her own feelings for him until they were back on the Hammersley. She had told him there wasn't another relationship and the only thing she could do was wait for him to acknowledge that.

Dutchy looked at Kate and shrugged. She admitted she had feelings for Mike Flynn, once. So technically he could still be her rebound guy. She had come to his place all fired up but she had changed after he told her what he had seen on the yacht. Why would she make up a story about the kiss if she was still in love with Mike? Could it be true that that relationship was truly over? Why else would she come to him? So many questions, it confused him. "I don't know what will happen now," he finally answered her question. "I need to think," he said while he walked back to the door, hoping she would follow him. Kate did follow and looked at him one last time. "I love you," she said before she left him standing in the door opening.

That night Kate couldn't concentrate on the book she was reading. Her mind was going over the conversation with Dutchy. Secretly she had been waiting for him to call her or to come by her place and tell her everything was fine. She hadn't even told him about her shore posting yet. She had told him she loved him and that, to her own surprise, wasn't something she did often. There were only a few men on this earth who could say they had ever heard her proclaim that to them.

With a sigh she put the book down on her night stand and turned off the light. She should get some sleep and tomorrow she maybe could call Dylan to go and meet her for breakfast or something like that. When her head hit the pillow she realised how tired she was. This day had been too exhausting. A good night's rest would make all the difference.

In the middle of the night Kate woke up with a scream. She sat up right, turned on the light and looked down at her shaking hands. Briefly she closed her eyes again and sighed but while she did that the images came back. Images of a smiling Mike leaning over Dylan's lifeless body. With a shock Kate opened her eyes again telling herself that it was a bad dream but the evil smile she had seen on Mike's face was frightening and she couldn't get rid of it, even when she had her eyes open. "It's a dream. It's just a silly dream," she told herself.

Kate swung her legs over the side of the bed and walked to the kitchen where she poured herself a glass of water. She hadn't had such weird dreams for ages and even though she knew it was a dream, the scary feeling didn't leave her alone. The whole dream didn't make sense. In her dream she had been having dinner with Dylan on a mountain top. Suddenly Mike has shown up and pushed Dylan over the edge. The next minute they were all at the bottom of the mountain where Dutchy mouthed a weak 'Kate I love you too' before he died. She then wanted to hurt Mike for killing Dylan but he was back at the top of the mountain and all she could see were his evil eyes.

With another gulp of cool water Kate tried to calm her nerves but it didn't help much yet. What she needed was some distraction. Finally she decided to get back to bed and read her book. That did the job and within a short time she fell asleep, still holding the book in her hands.

When Dutchy woke up he knew he couldn't deny it any longer. He was truly and utterly in love with Kate McGregor. After she had left him the night before, more or less in shock because of her parting confession, he had been unable to do anything. By the time he realised he _was_ hungry the Thai food had turned cold but re-heating it or worse, place a new order, was not really an option. He had just sat down on the sofa and watching a soppy movie which happened to be on the telly that night.

Dutchy got dressed and decided not to wait a minute longer. If he loved Kate and she loved him then why shouldn't they be together? He grabbed his keys and almost ran towards his car. He was glad he didn't come across a cop since he was breaking about every speed limit in town and skipping some red lights. When he reached her street he quickly parked the car. Before he got out he took a last look in the front rear mirror to see if he looked good. The last thing he wanted now was to be rejected because he looked like a loon, although he really wondered if she would be so picky at six in the morning.

It took a while for Kate to reach the door but Dutchy didn't mind. He heard her stumbling inside and knew that she would open the door any minute. "Who is it?" he heard a sleepy voice ask. Dutchy thought for a second how to answer that. He could simply say it was him but that was too simple. He should have thought of something before he rang the doorbell because he couldn't think of something funny to say. "Which idiot thinks it's funny to wake me up at this hour?" Kate asked when there was no reply to her first question. "Uhm, this idiot," Dutchy answered. The door was opened and a bleary looking Kate looked at him. "Dylan," she said while she shook her head. "You are an idiot."

Dutchy teasingly turned around and threatened to walk away. "Is that how you treat men you claim to love?" he said almost unable to hide his laughter. "Dylan wait!" Kate called him back. Dutchy turned around and stood still in front of Kate. "Did you mean it? What you said yesterday?" he asked. He was almost a hundred percent sure she was but he wanted to hear it again. Kate nodded and stepped aside. "Please come in. I don't like standing in the front door dressed in only this at what-" she looked at her arm where she would normally have her watch. "The early hours of the day," she said when she couldn't figure out the real time.

Dutchy smiled and didn't wait another second. Kate was wearing a cute set of boxer briefs and a matching top. He could understand she didn't want to stay in the door opening dressed like that for too long. Quickly he walked inside and turned around to see Kate close the door. "You might be an idiot but you're an idiot I like," Kate said while she came closer. "Like? What happened to _love_?" Dutchy teased. He smiled when he saw her surprised look on her face.

Kate realised too late he was toying with her. He was either waiting for her to say something or just admiring the view but he was having this smile plastered on his face. "Stop looking at me like that," she said trying to cover herself as if he hadn't seen it all already. Dutchy took the final step towards her and she could feel his body heat on her own skin. "I happen to like what I see," he whispered in her ear. Kate looked him in the eyes and knew she was sold. She cupped his face with her hand and kissed him on his lips. "Me too," she confessed.

The next kiss was hard and demanding and they only had to stop to get some air. Kate smiled at Dutchy before she kissed him again. "I don't love anyone else, honestly," she said looking him straight in the eyes. "I know that now," Dutchy said while he stroked her hair. "Yesterday I was-" he searched for the right word. "Jealous," Kate finished his sentence for him. "I guess so," he admitted. "But not anymore. I shouldn't have sent you away yesterday," he apologised. Kate stroked his arm and shook her head. "No worries. You're here now," she replied before she kissed him again.

While they kissed they had slowly moved towards the living room but Kate was steering them towards her bedroom now. She would be a fool to wait any longer. "Dylan," she panted. "I need to tell you something else." Dutchy stopped and looked at her questioningly. "What?" he asked, alarmed. Kate started laughing and shook her head. While she started to unbutton his shirt she said: "I'm off the ship. Temporarily but I could make it more permanent if necessary." When she undid the last button she looked up at him again and smiled a seductive smile. "You know what that means?" she asked.

Dutchy gave her the biggest smile in return and threw away his shirt. "A woman who's in love with me _and_ one that can openly date me. Show me your bedroom and I'll show you what I do with this kind of news," he eagerly said. Kate pulled him with her towards the hallway by linking her fingers in his belt. When she realised he followed her she started fidgeting with his belt. It didn't take her long to unhook it. The button and fly were next. When his jeans almost hung down his legs they reached the bedroom door and she pinned him against it. "Finally a man with taste," she said out loud. _Yeah and not one that only wears tighty whities_ she thought. Dutchy gave her a quizzical look but saw she looked down at his Calvin Klein boxer briefs.

Kate had the man of her dreams almost where she wanted him. "I certainly have taste," Dutchy said before he opened the door. "I've got you, don't I?" Kate smiled and kissed him again before she walked in. "You sure do," she answered. Dutchy looked down at Kate's undies and smiled. Before he could say anything she pressed her index finger against his lips. "Don't you dare say anything about my und-" she never finished her sentence since he pressed his lips against hers. The last thing he did before he threw her on the bed was to kick the door shut. The last thing they wanted was to be disturbed on their first truly intimate moment.

THE END


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